Ismael Gonzalez competed on Bellator MMA's Fight Master. He was a heavy underdog to Brazilian prospect Marcus "Lelo" Aurelio, but scored the upset victory in dominating fashion, finishing Aurelio in the first round. Gonzalez then chose Joe Warren as his head coach. Despite a negative professional record, Gonzalez's win over Aurelio allowed him to be ranked at #12 of 16 in the elimination round. However, Gonzalez would lose to #16-ranked tournament fill-in Joe Williams.